A swimming instructor has advised parents of the correct way to dry their children off after a dip in the pool, as doing it wrong could pose a potential danger.
Jetting off somewhere warm on holiday often means hours of fun for the whole family in the swimming pool, and while most parents will be concerned about their child having too much sun exposure, many might be unaware of the dangers of wrapping them in a towel.
To help parents out, certified ISR swim instructor Nikki Scarnati has issued some advice on the safest way to use towels on little ones whilst they're near the swimming pool.
Birmingham Live reports that the expert posted a video to TikTok detailing how the small adjustment could potentially save their children's life if they got into danger. In the video, Nikki demonstrates the correct way to put a towel around your child by comparing it to the way that most parents would 'naturally' dry off their child.
She explains: "I see it happen so many times, and I myself, as a parent, did it without even realising it was a thing."
Nikki then shows the popular way of doing it, placing the towel over the child's shoulders and keeping them snug and warm. However, this method could be unsafe.
She explains: "If they were to fall in the pool this way, all of their limbs are going to be restricted under a wet towel." Instead, you should dry their arms off, then get your child to lift up their arms and wrap the towel around them - like you would yourself after getting out of the shower.
"That way, if they end up in the water, they still have access to their limbs to self-rescue and they're that much safer," Nikki adds.
Viewers have flocked to the post in agreement with the tip and to thank Nikki for raising awareness of the issue.
Confirming how helpful the tip was, one person commented: "I can confirm this is true. When I was two I fell into the deep end of a rec pool with my towel on around my arms and I had to be rescued."
"Also if they trip, they can catch themselves before hitting the ground," another added.
A third wrote: "That's a great idea! I bought my son an oversized towel hoodie so his arms stay covered but he's got mobility." "Good tip thank u," a fourth said.
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